Tuesday, December 2, 2008

About This Blog

On Thanksgiving afternoon, my Aunt Marian Elaine Shanahan passed away. To say that she was an influence in my life is an understatement. She was a mentor, a supporter, a shoulder to cry on and much much more. When I was just a little girl, she gave me my first journal and my first set of books--abridged classics that I read over and over until they fell apart. I still have that first journal along with the many others that I've kept over the years.

Reading and writing are two passions of mine that have led into an enriched life and rewarding career, and I can thank my Aunt Marian for that.

She was a big supporter of my children's literature blog, The Well-Read Child, and formed her own book group, The Well-Read Ladies a few months before her death. Comprised of friends and women from her church, they would often meet to discuss a book they had recently read.

I didn't know about the name of the book club until after her death when I was talking to my Uncle Dave. According to him, he was instructed to make himself scarce especially as the discussion would continue over fuzzy navels for hours and stray into topics that "weren't meant for men's ears."

In honor of my Aunt Marian, I want to start my own online book club called The Well-Read Ladies. I haven't worked out the details yet but I'd like to start after the holiday season and begin with some of the books they discussed.

Spoiler Alert!

This is an online book club, not a review site, so expect to find plot spoilers in our discussions. If you haven't read the books we're discussing and want to be surprised, you may not want to read the posts here!

Book List

February 2009: The Thirteenth Tale

March 2009: The Hemingses of Monticello

April 2009: The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen

May 22, 2009: Bones of Faerie

June 12, 2009: The Grapes of Wrath

July 10, 2009: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

August 14, 2009: The Graveyard Book

September 18, 2009: Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband and a Bus with a Will of its Own

October 2009: Sci-Fi/Fantasy TBD

November 2009: Classic Children's Literature TBD

December 2009: 2009 Bestseller TBD

Join the Group

To become a member of The Well-Read Ladies, email Jill at thewellreadchild AT gmail DOT com. I'll set you up with permissions to author posts.